To link to the entire object, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed the entire object, paste this HTML in websiteTo link to this page, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed this page, paste this HTML in website

Jump into it! Read about track and field and basketball ) LJj L .... j Wednesday, February 3, 1999 catsis.weber.edusignpost . Volume 61 Number 44 See sports page 12 liit ri iiiTrri i nut' mmi rtfcrti 1 J - , a Addictions conference expected to draw hundreds By Adam Anderson news writer-Hie Signpost In an effort to increase awareness about substance abuse, treatment and prevention, Weber State University will hold its ninth-annual Addictions Conference Feb. 4. The conference, co-sponsored by McKay-Dee hospital, is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4: 1 5 p.m. in the Shepherd Union Building. Several hundred educators, students, parents, religious leaders and treatment professionals are expected to attend. The theme of the conference is "Practical Insights and Solutions in the Constantly Changing World of Addictions." The keynote address will be given at 8:45 a.m. in the Wildcat Theater by George Ross, a nationally recognized psychologist and author of 'Treating Adolescent Substance Abuse: Understanding the Fundamental Elements." Various other workshops dealing with a number of topics related to addiction will be presented by local experts. The cost of the conference is $50 and will include lunch. College credit is available for those who attend. Susan Young, directorof WSU's Drug and Alcohol Education Office, said attending a conference such as this would normally require one to pay tuition costs. - Fortunately, much of the expense will be offset by auxiliary funding. "For those who need treatment, this will really be accessible," Young said. Although the problem of drug and alcohol abuse at WSU may not be as widespread as on many other universities, a problem still exists. Students By Leo Dirr campus affairs editor-The Signpost Weber State University students met with Utah State Legislators Tuesday to make them aware of student needs and to give them real life examples."The Legislators always see things on paper. But this gave us an opportunity to meet them face-to-face and present our issues," said Brian Brown, Associated Students of WSU president, about the meeting at the state capitol. Students discussed four issues, selected by the Utah Council of Student Body Presidents, with stale representatives. Their agenda included: privacy rights that would limit the use of Social Security numbers for identification purposes; SI .5 million need-based student loans; increase of base funding for computer technology; and support of the Utah Academic Library Consortium recommendation of $ 1 .258,000. In addition to those agenda issues. Roque Manzanares. gov ernment relations director for AS WSU. attended the meetum to eel a leelinc for legislators' ' '"'a-'-r-.- ... . . ,'. ' 1 George Ross According to statistics from Inter-mountain Health Care, nearly 20 percent of Utah teenagers use alcohol on at least a monthly basis and almost 7 percent of those ages 12-17 use marijuana regularly. Furthermore, 43 percent of Utahns ages 1 8-25 consume alcohol on a regular basis. Young said many young people refuse to recognize the danger of dn ig and alcohol abuse. "When you are 17, 18 or 19, you do not believe that you can permanently damage your body," Young said. Young has observed, as have many other professionals, that abuse of alcohol and tobacco can lead some to experiment with more powerful drugs. "People long for a bigger and bigger rush," Young said. When alcohol is no longer enough, lobby legislators 1 iA V Rep. Mike Styler and WSU student Dee Hansen share conversation and food at the state capitol Tuesday afternoon. stance on a piece of his legislation. In November, Manzanares passed a bill eliminating sales tax on textbooks through the Utah Intercollegiate Assembly.Representative Duane Bourdeaux. D-Salt Lake, is sponsoring the bill but was not able to introduce it this legislative session because he didn't have enoii'jh time to do sufficient research. some move to drugs such as methamphet-amine, the drug that Young refers to as "the scary drug." "Methamphetamine is very addictive and very dangerous," Young said. "Severe and permanent brain damage can result from one or two uses." Methamphetamine abuse can cause schizophrenia or catatonia, which is characterized by somebody lapsing into a permanent "zombie state." Young also finds it unsettling just how accessible methamphetamine is. "You can find everything you need at the local supermarket," Young said. Methamphetamine is cheap and potent, exactly what many addicts want Professional counselors and former addicts can testify that breaking an addiction can be very difficult. "It is both a physical and psychological thing," said Wayne Bohman, a peer counselor at WSU's Drug and Alcohol Education Office. "Your bodyand mind work together to make you believe that you need the drug." Young and Bohman hope the conference will help many who may be struggling to break their addictions. "Drugs deliver as promised," Young said. "Sometimes it is not until somebody's life spins out of control when they finally realize that their drug addiction might be a problem." Both Bohman and Young said what is needed is a healthy support system that can be depended on in the place of drugs. "Support groups work amazingly well to facilitate rehabilitation," Bohman said. For more information about the conference, contact Wayne Bohman at 626-7561 or Susan Young at 626-7 197. i. ; 5 iV:v 1 Although his legislation won't be presented this time. Manzanares felt the meeting was beneficial because he heard many positive comments from legislators. "What meeting with Legislature did for me was to understand that 1 have more support, both in the House and the Senate. Democrat and Republican, alike." Manzanares s.iid. Feel the beat ,m t fa 1 A J . . . s r "Jr- : i-'m'- - -r irm- T ' Aaron Chavez and Esther Bowden, members of the percussion ensemble, play the bongo drums "just for fun" in the Union Building breezeway. Goodbye snow; hello sunshine By Tanna Barry asst. news editor-The Signpost As students trudge through snow-lined pathways, they can take comfort in the fact that Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow yesterday. Spring is just around the corner. "I'm happy it's almost spring," said Jennifer Dean, a senior at Weber State University. "I don't like the winter." Phil came out of his burrow on Gobblers Knob in Punxsutawney, Penn. at sunrise yesterday as part of the Groundhog Day Celebration. If Phil had seen his shadow there would be six more weeks of bad weather. But since there was no shadow in sight, this year will bring an early spring. Even w hile people in Puiusutawncy celebrated Groundhog Day, some WSU students didn't even realize yesterday was the special day. Matthew Lanoy. a WSU junior, said Groundhog's Day is not a memorable holiday and he didn't even realize that the holiday h.-ippened. "All the holidays thai people re i.. .' a r sr - ... i 1 i member have something fun to do," Lanoy said. "If we don't gel out of work or school, it doesn't seem like a holiday."Lanoy said if Groundhog's Day is going to be kept a holiday, people "need to make if more of a holiday." But the residents in Punxsutawney have been celebrating Groundhog's Day since the early 1 880s and relying on it as a way of predicting the weather. Kevin Mesebeluu, a sophomore at WSU, said, "I'm happy if something says that it's almost spring." Still other students question the reliability of a groundhog being able to predict the weather. "Is it real or is it fake?" questioned Dean. Dean said she heard some people on the radio saying thai ev ery other year the groundhog sees his shadow. She added that it seems like a pattern. Ann Marie Hudson, a senior at WSU. said. "It's kind of a foolish holiday because I don't sec how it Iground- See Phil page 3 inside post neWS see page 2&3 editorial see page 4 lifestyles. see page 8&9 SpOftS see page 14 classifieds . . . .see page 16

Public Domain. Courtesy of University Archives, Stewart Library, Weber State University.

Full-Text

Jump into it! Read about track and field and basketball ) LJj L .... j Wednesday, February 3, 1999 catsis.weber.edusignpost . Volume 61 Number 44 See sports page 12 liit ri iiiTrri i nut' mmi rtfcrti 1 J - , a Addictions conference expected to draw hundreds By Adam Anderson news writer-Hie Signpost In an effort to increase awareness about substance abuse, treatment and prevention, Weber State University will hold its ninth-annual Addictions Conference Feb. 4. The conference, co-sponsored by McKay-Dee hospital, is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4: 1 5 p.m. in the Shepherd Union Building. Several hundred educators, students, parents, religious leaders and treatment professionals are expected to attend. The theme of the conference is "Practical Insights and Solutions in the Constantly Changing World of Addictions." The keynote address will be given at 8:45 a.m. in the Wildcat Theater by George Ross, a nationally recognized psychologist and author of 'Treating Adolescent Substance Abuse: Understanding the Fundamental Elements." Various other workshops dealing with a number of topics related to addiction will be presented by local experts. The cost of the conference is $50 and will include lunch. College credit is available for those who attend. Susan Young, directorof WSU's Drug and Alcohol Education Office, said attending a conference such as this would normally require one to pay tuition costs. - Fortunately, much of the expense will be offset by auxiliary funding. "For those who need treatment, this will really be accessible," Young said. Although the problem of drug and alcohol abuse at WSU may not be as widespread as on many other universities, a problem still exists. Students By Leo Dirr campus affairs editor-The Signpost Weber State University students met with Utah State Legislators Tuesday to make them aware of student needs and to give them real life examples."The Legislators always see things on paper. But this gave us an opportunity to meet them face-to-face and present our issues," said Brian Brown, Associated Students of WSU president, about the meeting at the state capitol. Students discussed four issues, selected by the Utah Council of Student Body Presidents, with stale representatives. Their agenda included: privacy rights that would limit the use of Social Security numbers for identification purposes; SI .5 million need-based student loans; increase of base funding for computer technology; and support of the Utah Academic Library Consortium recommendation of $ 1 .258,000. In addition to those agenda issues. Roque Manzanares. gov ernment relations director for AS WSU. attended the meetum to eel a leelinc for legislators' ' '"'a-'-r-.- ... . . ,'. ' 1 George Ross According to statistics from Inter-mountain Health Care, nearly 20 percent of Utah teenagers use alcohol on at least a monthly basis and almost 7 percent of those ages 12-17 use marijuana regularly. Furthermore, 43 percent of Utahns ages 1 8-25 consume alcohol on a regular basis. Young said many young people refuse to recognize the danger of dn ig and alcohol abuse. "When you are 17, 18 or 19, you do not believe that you can permanently damage your body," Young said. Young has observed, as have many other professionals, that abuse of alcohol and tobacco can lead some to experiment with more powerful drugs. "People long for a bigger and bigger rush," Young said. When alcohol is no longer enough, lobby legislators 1 iA V Rep. Mike Styler and WSU student Dee Hansen share conversation and food at the state capitol Tuesday afternoon. stance on a piece of his legislation. In November, Manzanares passed a bill eliminating sales tax on textbooks through the Utah Intercollegiate Assembly.Representative Duane Bourdeaux. D-Salt Lake, is sponsoring the bill but was not able to introduce it this legislative session because he didn't have enoii'jh time to do sufficient research. some move to drugs such as methamphet-amine, the drug that Young refers to as "the scary drug." "Methamphetamine is very addictive and very dangerous," Young said. "Severe and permanent brain damage can result from one or two uses." Methamphetamine abuse can cause schizophrenia or catatonia, which is characterized by somebody lapsing into a permanent "zombie state." Young also finds it unsettling just how accessible methamphetamine is. "You can find everything you need at the local supermarket," Young said. Methamphetamine is cheap and potent, exactly what many addicts want Professional counselors and former addicts can testify that breaking an addiction can be very difficult. "It is both a physical and psychological thing," said Wayne Bohman, a peer counselor at WSU's Drug and Alcohol Education Office. "Your bodyand mind work together to make you believe that you need the drug." Young and Bohman hope the conference will help many who may be struggling to break their addictions. "Drugs deliver as promised," Young said. "Sometimes it is not until somebody's life spins out of control when they finally realize that their drug addiction might be a problem." Both Bohman and Young said what is needed is a healthy support system that can be depended on in the place of drugs. "Support groups work amazingly well to facilitate rehabilitation," Bohman said. For more information about the conference, contact Wayne Bohman at 626-7561 or Susan Young at 626-7 197. i. ; 5 iV:v 1 Although his legislation won't be presented this time. Manzanares felt the meeting was beneficial because he heard many positive comments from legislators. "What meeting with Legislature did for me was to understand that 1 have more support, both in the House and the Senate. Democrat and Republican, alike." Manzanares s.iid. Feel the beat ,m t fa 1 A J . . . s r "Jr- : i-'m'- - -r irm- T ' Aaron Chavez and Esther Bowden, members of the percussion ensemble, play the bongo drums "just for fun" in the Union Building breezeway. Goodbye snow; hello sunshine By Tanna Barry asst. news editor-The Signpost As students trudge through snow-lined pathways, they can take comfort in the fact that Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow yesterday. Spring is just around the corner. "I'm happy it's almost spring," said Jennifer Dean, a senior at Weber State University. "I don't like the winter." Phil came out of his burrow on Gobblers Knob in Punxsutawney, Penn. at sunrise yesterday as part of the Groundhog Day Celebration. If Phil had seen his shadow there would be six more weeks of bad weather. But since there was no shadow in sight, this year will bring an early spring. Even w hile people in Puiusutawncy celebrated Groundhog Day, some WSU students didn't even realize yesterday was the special day. Matthew Lanoy. a WSU junior, said Groundhog's Day is not a memorable holiday and he didn't even realize that the holiday h.-ippened. "All the holidays thai people re i.. .' a r sr - ... i 1 i member have something fun to do," Lanoy said. "If we don't gel out of work or school, it doesn't seem like a holiday."Lanoy said if Groundhog's Day is going to be kept a holiday, people "need to make if more of a holiday." But the residents in Punxsutawney have been celebrating Groundhog's Day since the early 1 880s and relying on it as a way of predicting the weather. Kevin Mesebeluu, a sophomore at WSU, said, "I'm happy if something says that it's almost spring." Still other students question the reliability of a groundhog being able to predict the weather. "Is it real or is it fake?" questioned Dean. Dean said she heard some people on the radio saying thai ev ery other year the groundhog sees his shadow. She added that it seems like a pattern. Ann Marie Hudson, a senior at WSU. said. "It's kind of a foolish holiday because I don't sec how it Iground- See Phil page 3 inside post neWS see page 2&3 editorial see page 4 lifestyles. see page 8&9 SpOftS see page 14 classifieds . . . .see page 16